Elevated railway for suspended vehicles



ii n" 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 F. P. SCHOBERLE I nmvunv RAILWAY FOR SUSPENDED mo s Filed April 21, 1921 A TTORNEY Jan. 27, 1925. 1.524277 F. P. SCHOBERLE ELEVATED RAILWAY FOR SUSPENDED VEHICLES Fild April 21, 12521 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I x I 1 u I u w q w Q m in] M lNV ENTOR fEfD/F/(L A JCflOflfHi mmW A TTORNE Y Patented Jan. 27, 1925..

l,ti24,277l

FREIDRICK PAUL SGI-IOBEH LE, OF L0$ ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.

ELEVATED RAILWAY FOR SUSPENDED VEHICLES.

Application filed April 21, 1921.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FREDRICK PAUL Sorromnmn, a citizen of the United States, residing at Los Angeles, in the county of Los Angeles and State of California, have invented a certain new and useful Elevated Railway for Suspended Vehicles, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to elevated railways for suspended vehicles and the objects of my invention are:

First, to provide a railway of this class which is so constructed that it will sag but little and will remain sufficiently rigid under load to provide a practically level track; Second, to provide an elevated railway of this class which is supported by means of structural supporting towers spaced a considerable distance apart, which is supported between said towers by means of suspension cables; Third, to provide an elevated railway of this class which is so constructed that the supports for the tracks are above said tracks thus providing clearance for the suspended vehicles; Fourth, to provide a means for supporting the railway against lateral movement intermediate the structural supporting towers; Fifth, to provide a novelly constructed elevated and suspended railway; Sixth, to provide means in connection with the rails at the structural towers for automatically taking up the expansion and contraction of said rails due to changes of temperature; Seventh, to provide new and novel brace and supporting means for supporting the tracks relatively to the suspended cables; Eighth, to provide means for adjusting said supporting and bracing means; and, Ninth, to provide an elevated railway of this class which is simple and economical of construction, self braced, durable, sufliciently rigid to provide a practically level railway and easy to install and keep in repair.

With these and other objects in view, as will appear hereinafter, my invention consists of certain novel features of construction, combination and arrangement of parts and portions as will be hereinafter described in detail and particularly set forth in the appended claims, reference being had to the accompanying drawings and to the characters of reference thereon which form a part of this application in which,

Figure 1, is a perspective View of a fragmentary portion of one of the suspension Serial No. 463,378.

sections showing several vehicles suspended thereon, showing some of them fragmentarily, Figure 2, is a side elevational view of one of the upright sides of one of the supporting towers, Figure 3, is an elevational view of two of said towers, looking along the track showing one of them in solid lines and showing the railway portion suspended thereon, and showing by dotted lines another member adjacent thereto and in connection therewith to be used in case it is desired to use a double track; Figure 4:, is a plan view of one of the supporting towers, showing a fragmentary portion of one of the suspended sections, the sway cables by solid and dotted lines showing varying connection points and the tower extension for supporting the same; Figure 5, is a perspective view of a fragmentary portion of one of the suspension sections in a slightly modified form from that of Figs. 1 to l inclusive, showing a double track supported on a single suspension cable; Figure 6, is a similar view of another modified structure showing a single track supported on a single cable, Fig. 7, in a perspective View showing the double track with automatic take-ups for providing for expansion and contraction in the rails, Fig. 8, is a perspective view of one of the rail joints where the expansion and contraction movement takes place, Fig. 9, is a perspective view of one end of one of the rails at such joint and Fig. 10, is a perspective of an insert reinforcing member at such joint, and Fig.

11, a perspective of a soft bushing for support 5.

Similar characters of reference refer to similar parts and portions throughout the several views of the drawings.

The upright portion 1, of the towers, horizontal truss portions 2, suspension cables 3, tracks 4t, suspension supports 5, truss members 6, sway cables 7, brace cables 8, expansion insert rail member 9, main expansion take-up support 10, expansion take-up levers l1, springs 12 and insert member 13, constitute the principal parts and portions of my elevated railway for suspendedvehicles.

The towers consist of properly and conventionally braced structural steel mem-' bers in upright and diagonal brace positions and mounted on the top are suspension trusses 2 which are also braced structural steel preferably in the form set out in Figs. 2 and 3 of the drawings. These towers it will be noted are considerably wider than the railway for strength and to support the sway cables 7. These trusses :2 are provided with downwardly extending suspended members 2 and connecting there with at the bottom are the track members 4. it being preferred to use a double track and double suspension cables as shown best in Figs. 1, 3 and 4; of the drawings. At the upper ends of the members 2* on the lower transverse'support of the truss 2 are secured the suspension cables 3 which are of sufiicient strength to support the load between the supports.

It will be vhere noted that these supporting towers may be positioned a-considerable distance apart depending upon the condition of the surface of the earth over which the railway. is constructed.

"These tables 3 are provided with turn buckles'Z-B in the opposite ends of each section, adapted to take up the slack in said cables and properly adjust them to the proper tension for supporting the load. The tracks at are preferably constructed of T steel and connected at joints by fish plates in the usual manner if desired, and at each joint, and oftener if required, are positioned the suspension supports 5 which are secured to the'cables 3 and are preferably rectangular in "form and at their lower corners the tracks 4 are rigidly secured. It will be noted that the upper corners of these supports 5 are provided with elongated cylindrical portions 5 through which the cable passes thus providing a long bearing surface to reduce the disintegration and wear of the cable at the points of support. These supports 5 are provided with diagonal truss members 5 which are each provided with turn buckles to provide for their adjustment and to take up the slack, and these several transverse supports?) are connected in addition to the tracks by means of diagonally positioned truss cables 8 shown best in F 4 of the drawings, and each of these truss cables is provided with a turn buckle for adjustment.

It will be noted that the rails 4 are positioned outside of the transverse supports 5 so that the upper edge of the track and outer side is free for the vehicle carriage to'run upon. At each of the supporting towers the track is provided with short insert members 9 with slight spaces between their ends and the ends of the tracks 4 and these members 9 are supported by means of lugs 9 secured on the sides thereof at opposite-ends 'to which is secured the main support member 10 which is rectangular in shape as shown best in Fig. 7 of the draware provided with bolts 11" which are shiftably mounted in slots 4" in the ends of the track member t in those track members which are iositioned at the towers. These lever mem' ers 11 extend upwardly, and interposed between their upper ends and the upper end of the member 10 are compression springs 12 which tend to separate the rail members 4 from the short section 9 at the opposite ends of section 9 thus provid ing a spring take-up for equalizing the. space between the joints at the towers. These rails i and the section 9 at the spaced ends are provided with longitudinal under cut slots adapted to receive the insert member 13 which conforms in shape to said slots and forms longitudinal supports in the space and permits the longitudinal movement of the rail sections at these joints."

In the modified form of construction shown in Fig. 5 the construction is the same except there is only one suspension cable 3 upon which the suspension supports 5 are mounted. These suspension supports are, however, triangular in shape instead of rectangular and are braced in accordance with the shape of the supports by turn buckle truss members.

In the modified form of construction shown in Fig. 6 there is only a single tract member and a single truss support in which case the supports are vertical and supported between the adjacent supports by means ol turn buckles and supported againstswaying by the cables 7.

Though I have shown and described a particular construction. combination and arrangement of parts and portions and certain modifications thereof, I do not wish to be limited to this particular construction, combination and arrangement, nor to the modifications thereof, but desire to include in the purview of my invention the construction, combination and arrangement substantially as set forth in the .appended claims.

It is obvious that with this construction there is provided an elevated railway, in which the supporting towers may be spaced a long distance apart if desirable and the rails supported by means of suspension cables between the towers so that the track will not materially sag and will be maintained in practically a level posit-ion, that the tension of the suspension cables 3 may be adjusted by means of the turn buckles at opposite-ends and that the brace supports between the cables and the track may also be adjusted and taken up so that the track may be maintained in condition such that it will not materially sag, under load, that there are provided cables for preventing the track from swaying, all of said supports, however, being sufficiently yieldable so that the track is not absolutely rigid but slightly flexible, that the take-ups provide for equalizing the movement of the rails for expansion and contraction, due to changes of temperature, along the line, that there is provided a novelly constructed elevated railway for suspended vehicles, and that the tracks are so positioned at the sides that there is provided clearance for the wheels along the outer sides and over the top of the rails.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a railway of the class described, towersv positioned in spaced relation with each other, suspension cables suspended be tween said towers, a plurality of polygonshaped transverse supports provided with elongated portions at their upper corners adapted for engagement with said cables and suspended on said cables, and a pair of longitudinally yieldable tracks composed of rails supported at the outside of on the lower corners of said transverse supports.

2.111 a railway of the class described, towers positioned in spaced relation with each other, separate suspension cables suspended between said towers, means for adjusting the tension of said cables interposed between said cables and said towers, a plurality of polygon-shaped transverse supports provided with elongated portions at their upper corners adapted for engagement with said cables and suspended on said cables, and a pair of longitudinally yieldable tracks secured on the outer sides of the lower corners of said polygon-shaped transverse supports.

3. In a railway of the class described, towers positioned in spaced relation with each other, separate suspension cables suspended between said towers, means for adjusting the tension of said cables interposed between said cables and said towers a plurality o1": polygon-shaped transverse supports provided with elongated portions at their upper corners adapted for engagement with said cables and suspended on said cables, a pair of longitudinally yieldable tracks secured on the outer sides of the lower corners of said .)olygon-shaped trans verse supports, and adjustable diagonal brace means connecting the separate transverse supports.

t. A railway of the class described ineluding towers with extended sides, tracks suspended between said towers on suspension members secured to said towers, means for bracing and supporting said tracks relatively to the suspension members spaced at intervals between said towers, and takeup means positioned at each tower providing for taking up the expansion and contraction of the rails due to changes 01": temperature, comprising a short rail member, means for supporting the same, levers shift- 'ably mounted in the ends of the regular rail members and compression springs interposed between the ends oi? said lever members and the extended portion of said support.

5. A railway of the class described including towers with extended sides, tracks suspended between said towers on suspension members secured to said towers and means for bracing and supporting said tracks relatively to the suspension members spaced at intervals between said towers, take-up means positioned at each tower providing for taking up the expansion and contraction of the rails due to changes of temperature, comprising a short rail member, means for supporting the same, levers shiftably mounted in the ends of the regular rail members and compression springs interposed between the ends of said lever members and the extended portion of said support and insert members positioned in under-cut slots in the ends of the regular rail member and the short section for supporting them in certain relation to each other but permitting their longitudinal shifting.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand at Los Angeles, California, this 22 day of March 1921.

FREDRICK PAUL SOHOBERLE. 

